David Hasselhoff to star in reality TV show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff, whose struggles with alcohol abuse were put on vivid display in a 2007 home video, will star in a reality television series this year.

U.S. actor and singer David Hasselhoff poses on the red carpet before the MTV Europe Awards ceremony in Berlin November 5, 2009. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Cable network A&E said on Wednesday it had ordered 10 half-hour episodes of the still untitled series about the hunky actor nicknamed “The Hoff.”

Hasselhoff, 57, quit his job as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” earlier this month after four years.

The new series will focus on Hasselhoff’s business ventures and his role as a divorced father trying to guide his teenage daughters as they look to break into the recording industry.

It was daughter Taylor-Ann, 19, who in 2007 shot a home video of a drunken and shirtless Hasselhoff laying on the floor and trying to eat a hamburger. The video was widely played on U.S. celebrity news shows.

Now, Taylor-Ann is studying communications at the University of Arizona, while younger daughter Hayley, 17, is an aspiring actress and a model for the fashion line Torrid.

Both girls want to sing professionally. As it happens, the new reality series comes from FremantleMedia North America, a company that produces singing competition “American Idol,” the top-rated show on U.S. television.

“It’s the dream of every parent to be able to help their children succeed,” Hasselhoff said in a statement.

“I told the girls that I would help them open the door when they are ready, but they would have to walk through it on their own,” he said, and added “this is their time.”

Hasselhoff was hospitalized twice last year for what media reports described as alcohol poisoning, but his representatives disputed those reports.

Hasselhoff is best known as the star of 1980s TV series “Knight Rider” about a crime fighter with a high-tech car, and the 1990s show “Baywatch” about lifeguards.

Aside from acting, Hasselhoff also sings and has released a number of albums, including 1989’s “Looking for Freedom,” which had strong sales in Germany and saw its title song become a popular soundtrack for the fall of the Berlin Wall.